NTSB Investigating NS Collision, Derailment in Pennsylvania (UPDATED)

“Rescue Engine 1413 is currently on scene with a train derailment in the area of Riverside Dr. in Lower Saucon. It is reported there are no injuries, with train cars into the river. Lower Saucon Fire Rescue and Northampton County Emergency Management Services are working with multiple local and state agencies on this incident,” the Nancy Run Fire Company of Bethlehem, Pa., reported early March 2 on Facebook. (Photograph Courtesy of Nancy Run Fire Company, via Facebook)

Three Norfolk Southern (NS) trains were involved in a derailment March 2 just east of Steel City, Pa., along the Lehigh River. There were no reported injuries to crews. An eastbound train collided with a stopped train on the same track, and the wreckage that spilled onto an adjacent track was struck by a westbound train, according to preliminary information from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), media outlets said. It was not immediately known how many cars derailed. The Lower Saucon Township Police Department reported there were no evacuations or hazardous material threat to the community.

Emergency personnel were dispatched at 7:15 a.m., according to the Department. Railcars were on the riverbank and at least one locomotive was partially in the water. (See photos below.)

Diesel fuel spilled into the river and containment booms were deployed, the Department reported. “Norfolk Southern called it a small diesel fuel leak ‘common when locomotives are involved’ that was contained with the booms and would be ‘vacuumed out,’” according to the Associated Press.

Polypropylene plastic pellets also spilled from one derailed car, and an NS spokesperson told CBS News Philadelphia that the pellets landed “predominantly onto the ground.”  

NS is on site and reported via social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that it is assessing the scene with first responders. “We appreciate the quick, professional response by local emergency agencies,” the Class I railroad said. “Our crews and contractors will remain on-scene over the coming days to cleanup, and we appreciate the public’s patience while they work as quickly, thoroughly and as safely as possible. We are always working to advance safety. We will investigate this incident to understand how it happened and prevent others like it.”

“We are very pleased that this derailment was so quickly and expertly handled. I want to thank all of the first responders for that,” said Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure, according to LehighValleyNews.com.

The Federal Railroad Administration said via social media that its safety personnel was working with emergency responders and local authorities on the scene.

Among the other responding agencies: The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Pennsylvania Fish Commission, Northampton County Emergency Management, Lower Saucon Fire and Rescue, Bethlehem Township Volunteer Company, Freemansburg Fire Company, Dewey Fire and EMS, and Lehigh County Special Ops Team.

NTSB Investigation

The NTSB will release a preliminary report in three weeks, CBS News Philadelphia reported March 3.

It has started “reviewing data from the trains’ event recorders and other evidence and has collected some information to send to Washington, D.C., to be analyzed,” the media outlet said. “The investigators also examined the derailed cars and other train equipment, according to the NTSB. Investigators are expected to work at the site for several more days, speaking with crew members and gathering other information to determine what caused the crash. Although they are still collecting evidence, NTSB officials said they have released the site so Norfolk Southern can begin to move the cars and repair the tracks.”

The final NTSB report, detailing the probable cause of the collision and derailment, is expected in one-to-two years, according to the NTSB, CBS News Philadelphia reported.